Author Archives: bridget

Miranda Sykes on Friday 22 April

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After a postponed event earlier in the year, on Friday 22 April (7.30–10 pm) we are looking forward to welcoming Miranda Sykes, the acclaimed singer and bassist with ‘Show of Hands’, back to Norwich Folk Club. After a career spanning over 20 years, during which time she has played with many of the top musicians and singers within the folk world, Miranda is touring as she started out: one woman, one bass, and one guitar.

Building on the success of her Borrowed Places tour, Miranda Sykes is back with a completely new project: Behind The Wall. Where Borrowed Places opened a window into the past, explaining where she had been, physically & spiritually, Behind The Wall is a Roller Coaster Ride exploring where we are going; Miranda, you, me, all of us. What does it mean to be human today, living in our communities & societies & where will our actions lead us? Powerful and hard-hitting but also poignant & beautiful, this show gives us all a chance to reflect & maybe even empower us.

Please email us via the contact page if you would like tickets (£13). Bring your own drinks.

Live club song sessions from Friday 14 January

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We resumed our regular song sessions at 7 pm on Friday 14 January. Please take a test before you set off and bring your mask. Bring your own drinks, and if you would like tea or coffee, bring your own mug and spoon. It would be helpful to know that you are planning to come along, so please send an email though our contact page.

Lilian Grace and Robbie Sherratt on Friday 9 April

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We look forward to welcoming Lilian Grace and Robbie Sherratt, two New Roots Finalists from 2020, to our online song session on Friday 9 April. These young performers show every sign of becoming stars of the British folk scene.

Lilian Grace is a young musician who specialises in unaccompanied traditional English folk song. Her songs are full of haunting rich harmonies, on occasion augmented by her minimalist use of concertina. Lilian graduated from Leeds Conservatoire in 2020, having studied under such well respected musicians as Nancy Kerr, Jim Moray and Bryony Griffith.

Photo by Mikko Malmivaara

Robbie Sherratt is a singer and fiddle player from the Staffordshire Moorlands. His debut album ‘Provenance’ draws from traditional music and melodies in and around his home county. Currently, Robbie’s studying for a Master’s degree in Folk music at Sibelius Academy, Finland where he’s honing his fiddling, teaching, and composing. He performs regularly in concerts and dance events in Finland, England and Estonia with duo Eva Väljaots & Robbie Sherratt and the Helsinki Ceilidh Band.

You can join the Zoom meeting from 7.30 pm for an 8 pm start and we finish at 11 pm. Email us via the form on our contact page to get the link, and let us know if you would like to perform yourself. We will try to fit in as many other performers as possible.

James Findlay at the online session on Friday 26 February

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We’re very pleased to be welcoming musician and singer James Findlay to do a couple of sets at our online song session on Friday 26 February. James Findlay first came into the public eye after winning the 2010 BBC Young Folk award. James comes from a family of folk singers and his enthusiasm lies firmly within the English tradition. He is particularly passionate about songs from his home counties of Dorset and Somerset. James has an extensive repertoire and love for song. This really shows in his knowledge and understanding of the material.

Among a number of recent projects, James recorded and toured an album of ‘The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs’ with Lucy Ward, Bella Hardy, Brian Peters and Jacki Oates. James was also Composer, Musical Director and Actor in Birdsong – Lockdown 2020, an award-winning online adaptation of Sebastian Faulks’ novel.

The session is free, with the option to contribute to James’s tip jar (suggested contribution £5). You can join the Zoom meeting from 7.30 pm for an 8 pm start and we finish at 11 pm. Email us via the form on our contact page to get the link, and let us know if you would like to perform yourself. We will try to fit in as many other performers as possible.

Georgia Shackleton Trio: online guests on Friday 22 January

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Photo: Sam Jason Cook

On Friday 22 January we look forward to welcoming the Georgia Shackleton Trio, who will be performing two sets at the online song session. The group features Georgia Shackleton (fiddle, vocals), Aaren Bennett (guitar) and Nic Zuppardi (mandolin). Natural talents of the folk tradition, their self-penned material blends seamlessly with their imaginative yet authentic re-workings of traditional folk standards, influenced by British, American and Scandinavian folk traditions, with a regional twist from the group’s native East Anglia.

“Sparky, charismatic and intensely assured. An exciting and innovative young trio. A hefty thumbs up” fRoots Magazine

The session is free, with the option to contribute to the Trio’s tip pot (suggested contribution £5). You can join the Zoom meeting from 7.30 pm for an 8 pm start and we finish at 11 pm. Email us via the form on our contact page to get the link, and let us know if you would like to perform yourself. We will try to fit in as many other performers as possible.

Pete Morton: online guest on Friday 4 December

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We are pleased to be welcoming the highly acclaimed singer-songwriter Pete Morton to perform two extended spots at our online song session on Friday 4 December. Pete will be singing songs from his brand-new album ‘A Golden Thread’, as well as some old favourites.

‘As a chronicler of the human condition and wry observer of history and the march of progress, Morton is up there with fellow Englishmen Richard Thompson and Chris Wood’ GLASGOW HERALD.

The session is free, with the option to contribute to Pete’s tip pot (suggested contribution £5). You can join the Zoom meeting from 7.30 pm for an 8 pm start and we finish at 11 pm. Email us via the form on our contact page to get the link, and let us know if you would like to perform yourself. We will try to fit in as many other performers as possible.

No actual meetings currently

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Sadly we are not meeting in person for the time being. The Christ Church Centre closed temporarily at the end of March. Live events have been postponed to 2021. Check the events page for details. We are still sharing musical posts on our facebook page.

We are now meeting for an online song session every Friday evening. If you would like to join us, please email via the form on the contact page for more info.

Stay safe and we look forward to seeing you sometime soon!

Martin Carthy on Friday 20 March

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For more than 50 years Martin Carthy has been one of folk music’s greatest innovators, one of its best loved, most enthusiastic and, at times, most quietly controversial of figures. His skill, stage presence and natural charm have won him many admirers, not only from within the folk scene, but also far beyond it.

Martin is a ballad singer, a ground-breaking acoustic and electric-guitarist and an authoritative interpreter of newly composed material. He always prefers to follow an insatiable musical curiosity rather than cash in on his unrivalled position. Perhaps, most significant of all, are his settings of traditional songs with guitar, which have influenced a generation of artists, including Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, on both sides of the Atlantic.

Due to the current national situation THIS EVENT IS POSTPONED TO EARLY 2021.

Tony Hall and The Vonn Krapp Family Band on Friday 14 February

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Legendary melodeon-player Tony Hall brings his talented band to Norwich Folk Club – an opportunity to hear these local stars in a folk club concert setting. Self-taught, Tony has a unique, ground-breaking style of playing. This stalwart of the Norfolk folk scene appeared on the Silly Sisters album and accompanied Maddy Prior and June Tabor on their tour, as well as being part of Nic Jones’ Penguin Eggs album.

Tickets £8 (£11 non-members), available on the door, can also be reserved by emailing via our contact page. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffees available in the kitchen.

The Norfolk Broads on Friday 24 January

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The Norfolk Broads are a four-piece female ensemble who enjoy singing low-pitched folk songs about love, despair and dastardly boyfriends.

The Broads supply their repertoire of traditional stories with a very contemporary verve and energy, using old songs to fuel new takes on the lives of women both past and present.

‘Young female quartet the Norfolk Broads are strong story-tellers … Their close harmonies brought a witty feminist take to a well-curated set of tales of impotence, greedy landlords, and the joys of a single life.’ The Guardian

Tickets £13 (£10 members) can be saved by emailing via the contact page. Bring your own drinks. Teas and coffee available in the kitchen.